The standard builds upon previously-established industry best practices for barcode-based paper coupons and helps identify coupons in point-of-sale transactions. Manufacturers, brand owners and retailers can now benefit from enhanced traceability in the redemption of digital coupons at point-of-sale and retailers can more easily and confidently reconcile their cash registers for paperless transactions.

"The new GS1 Standard is a step forward in addressing industry needs at a time when consumers are relying on their mobile devices more than ever to shop," said Jeffrey Bumgarner, manager, industry affairs, Grocery Manufacturers Association. "Industry members and their app developer partners will be able to use the new standard as soon as the proper infrastructure in place at the end of this year, which is currently being developed by the JICC."

The JICC is composed of industry stakeholders from a cross-section of industry associations, manufacturers and retailers, and works with GS1 US to respond to the needs of the industry and the growing mobile-coupon user. Consumer interest in mobile couponing is at an all-time high—the number of mobile coupon users in the U.S. has grown nearly 18 percent in the past year to 92.6 million, according to eMarketer data, and by the end of 2016, mobile coupon users are expected to increase another 11 percent to 104 million.

"As an organization driven by industry, GS1 US believes this is a significant achievement in collaboration between trading partners to improve the couponing process moving forward," said Carrie Wilkie, vice president, standards management, GS1 US. "The new standard enables retailers to treat a digital coupon like a cash transaction, so when a consumer redeems it, the retailer can use its established accounting practices to reconcile the cashier's till and have a verifiable audit trail."

About the Joint Industry Coupon Committee (JICC) The JICC works to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the development, distribution and redemption of coupons. It is comprised of retailer and manufacturer executives who oversee coupon programs and is administered by the Food Marketing Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association, National Association of Chain Drug Stores and National Grocers Association.

About GS1 US® GS1 US, a member of GS1®, is an information standards organization that brings industry communities together to solve supply-chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. More than 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code (EPC®)-based Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®). www.GS1US.org